A variety of agents are used to form thermoplastic materials. These agents include compatibility agents, foaming agents as well as melt agents, which lower processing temperatures of plastics and other materials. Compatibility agents, melt agents and foaming agents can reduce the cost and consumption of thermoplastic or thermoactive materials. Accordingly, there remains a need for an inexpensive biologically derived material that can reduce the cost and consumption of plastic or thermoactive materials. There is also a need for inexpensive and energy efficient methods of producing biocomposite materials.
Recycled mixed plastics from domestic and commercial waste are generally incompatible in view of processing in a shaping process, such as extrusion. Mixtures of these plastics have led to materials that can be used in products having low physical and mechanical demands. Compatibility agents allow mixtures of incompatible plastics to be molded into generally uniform materials. Compatibility agents that have been used are generally chemical agents, such as polystyrol and polybutadiene. These and other chemical compatibility agents are generally toxic and expensive. Similarly, chemical melt agents are generally toxic and expensive. Hence, there is a need for compatibility and melt agents that are inexpensive as well as non-toxic.
Foaming agents are frequently used in the production of various polymeric foamed materials. The foaming agents are generally physical blowing agents such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide in a supercritical state and are injected into a molten polymer. The blowing agents produce microscopic cells throughout a polymer, which results in a foamed polymer. This process requires expensive equipment and materials. Thus there is a need for a foaming agent that is inexpensive and simple to use.